From The New York Times's intrepid ''Really?'' reporter and author of the bestselling Never Shower in a Thunderstorm, more mind-opening health facts (and fictions)In this follow-up to the bestsellingNever Shower in a Thunderstorm,New York Timescolumnist Anahad O'Connor uncovers the truth behind a hundred more old wives' tales and conventional-wisdom cures. O'Connor investigates nagging questions of domestic safety, such as whether you can get radiation poisoning from standing too close to a microwave. (You'll actually be exposed to more watts from your cell phone.) He unearths astounding first-aid ''MacGyverisms,'' such as the attempts by Vietnam War battlefield medics and professional sports stars to seal wounds with super glue. (The bottom line: it works, but can irritate skin.) And he looks into the claim that a pregnant mother with heartburn should expect a hairy newborn (and is as baffled as the scientists who tallied up the clearly evident infant hairdos).For anyone curious about whether to starve a fever or a cold, or whether stifling a sneeze will damage the body, O'Connor delivers yet another winning and irresistible collection of tips about our health.

Always Follow the Elephants: More Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths about Our Health and the World We Live In - 09 edition

From The New York Times's intrepid ''Really?'' reporter and author of the bestselling Never Shower in a Thunderstorm, more mind-opening health facts (and fictions)In this follow-up to the bestsellingNever Shower in a Thunderstorm,New York Timescolumnist Anahad O'Connor uncovers the truth behind a hundred more old wives' tales and conventional-wisdom cures. O'Connor investigates nagging questions of domestic safety, such as whether you can get radiation poisoning from standing too close to a microwave. (You'll actually be exposed to more watts from your cell phone.) He unearths astounding first-aid ''MacGyverisms,'' such as the attempts by Vietnam War battlefield medics and professional sports stars to seal wounds with super glue. (The bottom line: it works, but can irritate skin.) And he looks into the claim that a pregnant mother with heartburn should expect a hairy newborn (and is as baffled as the scientists who tallied up the clearly evident infant hairdos).For anyone curious about whether to starve a fever or a cold, or whether stifling a sneeze will damage the body, O'Connor delivers yet another winning and irresistible collection of tips about our health.